BRICKS & MORTAR SPENDING GROWTH HALF THAT OF ONLINE

Local online retail spending by Kiwis in April was +14% on April 2015, double the growth being seen by bricks & mortar (+7% according to Stats NZ).

Clothing and Food have been key contributors to higher spending over the past 12 months and were responsible for approximately 60% of the increase in online spending at local merchants since April last year.

Online spending at local Computer, Department and Entertainment Media retailers has also grown strongly, says the BNZ and Marketview in their monthly update.

Once again, spending growth at local merchants (+14%) was less than at overseas websites (+19%). See the chart above for how this is tracking.

Part of this growth in spending at overseas retailers reflects higher offshore prices in NZ dollar terms.